The present invention relates generally to chairs, and more particularly to chairs of the type having a seat and at least one leg connected to the seat for supporting same. Still more particularly, the present invention is directed to a shroud which is removably connectable to the underside of the seat to hide the interconnection between the legs and the seat and thereby present a neat appearance. The invention is also directed to a molded seat frame adapted for connection of the shroud thereto.
Chairs and other seats come in a variety of styles depending upon their intended use. A style of chair which is particularly popular is that which includes an upholstered sitting surface or seat, an upholstered back rest connected to the seat, and a plurality of legs, typically four, connected to the underside of the seat. Such chairs are often found in restaurants, diners, banquet halls, hotels and other such establishments.
Since these chairs are frequently used in decorated surroundings, efforts have been made to increase their aesthetic appeal, including forming the chairs with decorative shapes, colors, upholstering and other decorative features. Other efforts have been made to hide the unsightly underside of the seats which includes screws connecting the legs and back rest to the seat, staples holding the fabric covering for the seat in place, manufacturer labels and tags and the like. A conventional approach for covering these eyesores has been to staple or tack a simple cardboard panel to the underside of the seat along its periphery. Although this cardboard panel may be visible when the chair is viewed in elevation from a moderate distance, it nonetheless presents a neater and less objectionable appearance than would be the case if it were not used.
Over the years, several drawbacks to the use of these cardboard panels have been realized. Firstly, it is a time-consuming and costly process to staple or tack the cardboard panel to the underside of the seat. In addition, the cardboard panel frequently becomes wet, such as from contacting the damp surface of an adjacent seat as the chairs are stacked for storage. As a result of repeated contact with moisture, the cardboard panel deteriorates over time, causing it to buckle, sag and/or tear, at which point it no longer serves its function of providing a neat appearance. Moreover, the cardboard panel may become damaged to the point that the screws on the underside of the seat become exposed, resulting in local fraying, tearing, rust staining and other damage to the upholstered sitting surface of an adjacent seat in a stacked arrangement of chairs. Yet another problem with these cardboard panels is that, when they must be removed to provide access to the underside of the seat, such as for tightening or replacing the chair legs or back rest, repairing the upholstery, etc., their removal and reinstallation is time consuming and difficult, often causing damage to the panels.
In view of these drawbacks, there exists a need for an improved device for covering the various connections on the underside of a chair seat. Preferably, such device will not be affected by moisture. More preferably, the device will be capable of easy attachment to and removal from the underside of conventional prior art seats with only simple modifications thereto. There is also a need for a seat to which such device may be readily connected without the need for modification.
The present invention addresses these needs.
One aspect of the present invention provides a shroud for a chair of the type having a seat and a plurality of legs connected to an underside of the seat. The shroud may include a generally flat panel adapted to overlie a major portion of the underside of the seat, with a lip projecting from a peripheral edge of the panel. The lip may have a series of openings, each opening being sized and shaped to receive one of the plurality of legs through the lip. The shroud may further include at least one connecting member on the panel adapted to engage a complementary connecting member on the underside of the seat for removably connecting the shroud to the seat.
In a preferred embodiment, sections of the lip may include a first wall member extending in a first direction from the panel, a second wall member extending from the first wall member in a direction transverse to the first direction, and a third wall member extending from the second wall member in the first direction, the first, second and third wall members together defining a reinforcing step in the lip.
In another preferred embodiment, the at least one connecting member may be resiliently deformable for removably engaging the complementary connecting member on the underside of the seat. Desirably, the at least one connecting member includes first and second fingers projecting from the panel, the first finger having a shoulder formed on a free edge thereof so as to project in a direction away from the second finger, the second finger having a shoulder formed on a free edge thereof so as to project in a direction away from the first finger, the first and second fingers being resiliently deformable so as to move their free ends toward one another.
In a variant of this aspect of the present invention, a shroud is provided for a chair of the type having at least one leg connected to the underside of the seat. The shroud may include a generally flat panel adapted to overlie a major portion of the underside of the seat, a lip projecting from a peripheral edge of the panel, and at least one connecting member on the panel adapted to engage a complementary connecting member on the underside of the seat for removably connecting the shroud to the seat. In one embodiment hereof, the shroud may include a channel in the panel having an open end, the channel being adapted to receive the at least one leg of the chair. In another embodiment hereof, the panel may include a first portion adapted to overlie one portion of the underside of the seat and a second portion adapted to overlie another portion of the underside of the seat. The first and second portions each have mating edges with a recess formed therein, and at least one connecting member adapted to engage a complementary connecting member on the underside of the seat for removably connecting the first and second portions in an assembled position to the seat. In the assembled position, the mating edges of the first and second portions abut one another with the recesses aligned with one another to define an aperture in the panel adapted to receive the at least one leg of the chair.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a chair including a seat having a sitting surface and an underside opposite the sitting surface, at least one leg connected to the underside of the seat, and at least one first connecting member on the underside of the seat. A shroud removably connected to the underside of the seat may include a generally flat panel adapted to overlie a major portion of the underside of the seat, a lip projecting from a peripheral edge of the panel, and at least one second connecting member on the panel for engaging the at least one first connecting member to removably join the shroud to the seat.
In preferred embodiments in accordance with this aspect of the present invention, sections of the lip may include a first wall member extending in a first direction from the panel, a second wall member extending from the first wall member in a direction transverse to the first direction, and a third wall member extending from the second wall member in the first direction, the first, second and third wall members together defining a reinforcing step in the lip.
In other preferred embodiments hereof, the at least one second connecting member is resiliently deformable for removably engaging the at least one first connecting member on the underside of the seat. Preferably, the at least one second connecting member includes first and second fingers projecting from the panel, the first finger having a shoulder formed on a free edge thereof so as to project in a direction away from the second finger, the second finger having a shoulder formed on a free edge thereof so as to project in a direction away from the first finger, the first and second fingers being resiliently deformable so as to move their free ends toward one another.
A still further aspect of the present invention provides a frame member for a seat. The frame member may include an injection molded body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of side edges. A skirt may be formed integrally with the body so as to depend from the body along the front edge and the side edges thereof. A locating member may also be formed integrally with the body, the locating member defining a position for connecting at least one leg to the body. In preferred embodiments hereof, the frame member may further include at least one connecting member adapted to engage a complementary connecting member on a shroud for removably connecting the shroud to the bottom surface of the body. In other preferred embodiments hereof, the frame member may further include an auxiliary wall extending between the skirt and the bottom surface of the body for providing a securement surface for securing an upholstery material to a-bottom of the body. A lip may project from the auxiliary wall for defining material securement locating positions on the bottom of the body.
In a variant of this last aspect of the present invention, the frame member may include a body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of side edges, and at least one connecting member adapted to engage a complementary connecting member on a shroud for removably connecting the shroud to the bottom surface of the body.